Fish Rain Festival

Perhaps no one is surprised by the rain. However, in Honduras, not only raindrops fall from the sky. For 100 years, from May to July, Aguasero de Pescado (which means fish rain in Spanish) falls in El Progreso and the Yoro department.

It all starts with a huge dark cloud in the sky. After it gets cloudy, flashes of lightning begin to play in the sky, thunder booms, and a strong wind blows. Then, for about two to three hours, it's raining cats and dogs. As soon as the rain stops, the blue sky begins to appear and residents go fishing. There are literally hundreds of live fish lying around.

This unusual weather phenomenon made the region famous first across the country, and then around the world. Tourists began to come to the cities to see it with their own eyes. In 1998 Festival de la Lluvia de Peces was established due to the increased interest in the rain. The celebrations begin after the precipitation is collected. Residents, tourists, employees of cafes and restaurants take the catch to the kitchen, where they prepare a variety of fish dishes. Local gastronomic fantasies know no limit. For so many years of fish rains, people have learned to cook even desserts from water inhabitants. In the evenings, tables are set up on the streets of the city, and people are treated with gifts from the sky.

Science explains this phenomenon quite simply. Strong winds and tornadoes lift fish into the air from the Atlantic Ocean 200 kilometers from the coast and carry them to populated areas. Then, along with water, it falls to the ground. But for many, this theory seems implausible, since the appearance of water tornadoes at a certain time every year is unlikely. The second explanation is that the fish come out of the banks of nearby rivers. Torrential rains overwhelm it and wash out the fish.